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Where is the respect?

On any given day I traverse our campus and see graffiti, litter and people leaving their messes for someone else to clean up. We brag about how much nicer UCLA is than USC. We have a large staff who make sure trash is kept in the trash can, furniture is kept clean, the grass stays trim and green, and the campus remains clean and beautiful yet some students take advantage of it.

UCLA first opened in Westwood in 1929. That would give seventy-four years of alumni who, just as you probably will, cherish UCLA’s campus. Alumni often come back to visit the school for sporting events, to meet with students, and just to show off their school to their spouse and children. And yet many of us allow ourselves to be too lazy to do our share, which consists only of cleaning after ourselves.

Just the other day I was walking to class and a girl in front of me was chomping down on an apple and walking at a turtle’s pace with her two friends, blabbing about how Melissa has been acting weird lately. Anyway, as I am about to pass them the girl throws the remains of her apple on the ground approximately 6 feet from the nearest trash can. I’m sure you must be thinking the same thing I was, “What the –?” You may fill in the blank yourself, but in her defense I’m sure she couldn’t afford to miss any gossip about Melissa’s recent behavior by taking a few steps to the right and using the trash can.

With this kind of behavior, what are we saying to the alumni and future bruins about our respect for our school? That we have none, that we don’t care what the school will look like when we one day bring our children? And how about all those tours given to prospective students? I don’t think we are leaving them with a good impression by disrespecting our school. They look up to us and we show them that leaving our mess for other people is acceptable.

When I got to class I quickly squeezed by four people tripping over their bags and tried not to get my butt stuck on their desks. As I sat down, I noticed that right by my foot was a lovely half-full cup of coffee and a newspaper. How nice, I thought. The person before me left the rest of their coffee. Unfortunately I wasn’t thirsty so I moved it just enough so I could put my bag down. For the rest of the class I sat with my legs crossed, my top leg stuck under the desk and my bottom leg losing circulation just so I wouldn’t spill someone else’s coffee.

It’s ironic that the students at UCLA for the most part are extremely proud of themselves and enjoy the respect they gain from attending the university, but then treat their school as if it owes them something. In order to get accepted into UCLA I think a student should not only be a hard worker, but also have a sense of autonomy and responsibility, which is why it’s hard to imagine that many also have the characteristics of a slob.

Finally on my way home toward Strathmore I saw my friend whom I began walking with, and told her how disgusted I was by people disrespecting UCLA property when he pulled out sunflower seeds and began gnawing and spitting out the seeds on the ground. When I confronted him about it, he said, “It’s not a big deal, it will be gone by tomorrow; nobody really cares.” Well, I care. I care that we take advantage of the maintenance crews who, according to their Web site, work on average seven days a week, 20 hours a day. I care that we treat UCLA property as if it was USC. I care that students can be so impertinent they can’t bother to clean up after themselves.

Of course it will be hard to get the people who disrespect the school to change without their mothers following them everywhere, so I suggest that if you are like me and think students need to take responsibility for their own messes, then confront them. If you see someone litter or write on their desk, remind them in a nice way that staff of hard working people are going to have to clean that up. We are all smart at UCLA; I think they will get the point. And for those of you who are the problem, know this: you and the other students are giving a bad rep to the school, so stop being lazy and treat the campus as you would treat your home, because in reality, UCLA is your home.

Shasha is a fourth-year psychology student. E-mail Shasha at rshasha@media.ucla.edu.